Telescoping tray for retractable display rack



Oct 1, 1968 H. w. LA MORTE ET AL 3,

TELESCOPING TRAY FOR RETRACTABLE DISPLAY HACK Filed May 20, 1966 III 0J1 I/wE/v roast Alba/02b W Ln Moers LEO Mclsnnc aM aw flrroeus v.9.

United States Patent 3,403,789 TELESCOPING TRAY FOR RETRACTABLE DISPLAY RACK Howard W. La Morte, New York, and Leo Mclsaac,

Westbury, N .Y., assignors to Vita-Pakt Citrus Products Co., Covina, Calif., a corporation of California Filed May 20, 1966, Ser. No. 551,642 6 Claims. (Cl. 211-150) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention resides in a telescoping tray which may preferably be made of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending wire strands. The tray consists of two parts, namely a rearward member which is pivotally secured to a rear support and a forward member which slides telescopically toward and away from the rearward member. The rearward member is pivotally attached to the rear support and is provided with springs acting in torsion between the rear support and the rearward member biased in a direction adapted to elevate the rearward member, the torsion force of the springs being in excess of the moment produced by the rearward and forward members about the pivot axis when the forward member is in extended position and empty so that when the tray is empty the tray will be tilted upwardly and the forward member will automatically retract into telescoping engagement with the rearward member.

The invention relates to adjustable and retractable display racks for the display of merchandise, and usually relatively heavy items of merchandise, in such fashion that the weight of the merchandise is supported on the floor and the trays automatically lift out of the way as promptly as unloaded.

There has been considerable activity in merchandising display racks of the character above noted, some of which are available as unitary racks which can be moved about from place to place, and others of which are preferably permanently attached to some vertical support. One of the important principles is to have the individual trays or shelves adjustably vertically so that as the shelf is loaded with merchandise the weight of the merchandise on many of the upper trays is passed to the next lower tray and so on down to the supporting surface. In this way tray construction can be kept relatively light in weight, inasmuch as each individual tray need not be made strong enough and rugged enough to carry the load of all of the merchandise which might be placed upon it. Although such a requirement might not be needed for lightweight merchandise in the nature of potato chips, packaged cereals and the like, it is highly desirable for relatively heavy items of merchandise such as bottled drinks.

In devices heretofore made, there has been a tilt up construction by means of which the tray moves up out of the way after it is unloaded thereby to give access to the contents on the next lower tray. In such devices there has been a limit to the length of trays which could be employed. In those devices if a tray were made too long the weight alone of the tray would be disadvantageous in having the tray lift up out of the way automatically when unloaded. Also it is advisable to be able to tilt trays upwardly to a relationship parallel with the vertical rear support and trays which are too long tilt out too far forward when folded up. Moreover trays in general use have to a large extent been somewhat complicated in their structure and have not been as versatile as required.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improve-d retractable display rack assembly and trays therefore of such design and construction that the trays used can be longer than those heretofore available, the trays being telescopically retractable when not in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved retractable display rack assembly which is inexpensive in construction, light in weight and automatically retractable, and wherein the tray length can be adjusted to any intermediate length between the maximum and minimum for which the device is designed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved display rack which is relatively inexpensively constructed, which can be readily assembled and disassembled, which takes up relatively little room when the tray is elevated out of use, and wherein the tray itself is so constructed that it is self guiding during extension and retraction.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a retractable display rack shown loaded with merchandise.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the display rack with the visible tray partially extended.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view on the line 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

In an embodiment of the invention chosen primarily by way of illustration there is shown a retractable display rack assembly indicated generally by the reference character 10 shown attached to a supporting wall 11 and mounted above a supporting surface 12. The display rack in general includes a pair of vertical columns 13 and 14 attached in laterally spaced position to a back board 15 which is secured to the supporting wall 11 by any appropriate means such as screws, nails, clamps and the like. Each of these columns 13 and 14 are identical and hence a description of one will suffice for both. The column 13 for example consists of a channel section including a base 16 and webs 17 and 18, the webs forming a chamber 19. Flanges 20 and 21 at the forward ends of the webs 17 and 18, respectively, are spaced apart at their free edges forming a vertical slideway 22. A shoe 23 is a plate-like element, a rearward end of which extends through the slideway 22 into the chamber 19, On the rearward end is a spring clip 24, secured to the shoe by some appropriate means such as a rivet 25, the spring clip being bent so as to bear frictionally against the inside face of the web 18. At its forward end the shoe is provided with .a hole 26 to accommodate a hinge rod 27. The trays, indicated generally by the reference character 30, are attached by means of the hinge rod 27 to shoes 23 on opposite rearward ends, so that the tray in each instance can pivot upwardly and downwardly about the shoes. In FIGURE 1, the uppermost of the trays 30 is shown pivoted upwardly and the lower of the trays 30 extending downwardly to a position resting upon packages 31 of merchandise and supporting packages 32 of merchandise.

Each of the trays 30 is constructed of two parts namely a rearward member 35 and a forward member 36. The rearward member comprises laterally spaced parallel merchandise supporting bars 37 with bars 38 and 39 comprising outermost side elements. A cross bar 40 connects all of the bars at the rearward ends and a cross bar 41 connects all of the bars at the forward end. Intermediate stiffening bars 42 are also employed. In the chosen embodiment the cross bars and stiffening bars all lie on the undersides of the bars 37, 38 and 39.

' A slightly different construction is given to the forward member 36 which is constructed of pairs of bars 46 and 47 joined at their forward ends in each instance by a cross piece 48. A cross bar 49 overlies all of the pairs of bars 46 and 47 and a similar cross bar 50 overlies and connects the rearward ends. Intermediate stiffening bars 51 may also be employed. It is significant to note that ad jacent bars 46 and 47 are spaced relatively close together and in a sense form a slideway 52 for the respectively adjacent bar 37 of the rearward member which lies between them, serving as a runner. Ends of the cross bar 50 are bent downwardly around the outermost bars 37 and 38 of the rearward member 35 so as to slidably fasten the rear end of the forward member to the rear member. Similarly the cross bar 41 has its ends bent over the outermost bars 46 and 47 so as to slidably confine the forward member 36 in place.

Springs 53 and 54 serve to elevate the tray 30 when unloaded. The spring 53 for example has one end 55 underlying the cross bar 40 and the other end 56 is in engagement with the respective shoe 23. Ends 57 and 58 of the spring 54 are similarly secured.

A positioning plate 60 in the form of an angle section is adapted to be adjustably secured to the rearward member 38 by means of a plate 61 and thumbscrew 62.

In use after the space below the lowermost of the trays 30 has been loaded with packages 31 as shown in FIG- URE 1 the lowermost of the trays 30 is tilted downwardly to a position parallel to the tops of the packages 31 and is slid down until it rests upon the packages. The forward member 36 may be pulled out to maximum length or retracted to minimum length or adjusted to any position partway between. The lowermost tray 30 is then loaded with packages 32 and the tray next above then positioned and rested upon the tops of the packages 32 and telescopically extended or retracted as desired. The upper tray 30 may be extended either more or less than the lower tray 30 depending upon how the trays are loaded.

Thereafter as each tray in turn is emptied starting from the top the tray is lifted up by spring action and while being lifted up the weight of the forward member 36 causes it to slide telescopically along the rearward member 38, the bars 46 and 47 sliding along the bars 37 as the case may be, and outermost bars of each of the forward and rearward members slidably confined by the looped ends of the cross piece bars. The forward member will retract slidably to the limit of its position which it will occupy as long as the tray is held in vertical position. Upon reloading the tray can then be adjusted telescopically outwardly to the desired length.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. A retractable merchandise display rack comprising a rear support and a plurality of trays, each said tray comprising a rearward member and a forward member, said rearward and forward members being at all times in unrestricted mutually sliding and guiding relationship, means holding said members in sliding engagement, said forward member having a retracted position wherein most of its length is in juxtaposition with said rearward member and an extended portion wherein most of its length extends outwardly beyond an adjacent free end of said rearward member a pivotal attachment between said rearward member and the rear support and spring means having a torsion force in excess of the moment of said rearward and forward members about said pivotal attachment when in extended position, said spring acting between said rearward member and said rear support and biased to tilt said tray to an upward position when not loaded whereby to effect telescopic retraction of said forward member when in said upward position.

2. A retractable merchandise display rack comprising a rear support and a plurality of trays, each tray having laterally spaced substantially parallel side elements, each said tray comprising a rearward member and a forward member, said rearward member having a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinally extending merchandise supporting bars forming spaces therebetween several times greater than the breadth of the respective bars, said forward member having a plurality of longitudinally extending merchandise supporting bars forming spaces therebetween several times greater than the breadth of the respective bars, bars of said rearward and forward members being in mutually unrestricted sliding and guiding relationship, means holding said members in sliding engagement, a pivotal attachment between said rearward member and said rear support and spring means acting between said rearward member and said rear support biased to tilt said tray upward when the forward member is in extended position and not loaded whereby to elfect telescopic retraction of said forward member.

3. A retractable merchandise display rack comprising a pair of laterally spaced parallel vertical columns, each column having a slideway therein facing forward, and a plurality of trays, each tray having laterally spaced substantially parallel side elements, a shoe having a pivotal attachment at the rear end of each side element and a vertically slidable frictional engagement between each shoe and the respective slideway, each said tray comprising a rearward member and a forward member, said rearward member having a plurality of longitudinally extending merchandise supporting bars, said forward member having a plurality of longitudinally extending merchandise supporting bars, bars of said rearward and forward members being in unrestricted mutually sliding and guiding relationship, said forward member having a retracted position wherein most of its length is in juxtaposition with said rearward member and an extended position wherein most of its length extends outwardly beyond the rearward member, means holding said members in sliding engagement, and spring means having a torsion force in excess of the moment of said rearward and forward members about said pivot-a1 attachment when said members are in extended position, said spring acting between said rearward member and at least one of said shoes and biased to tilt said tray upward when not loaded whereby to effect telescopic retraction of said forward member.

4. In a retractable merchandise display rack comprising an upright rear support the combination of a plurality of trays each having at the rearward end thereof a vertically slidable means in engagement with said support, a vertically operating pivotal joint between said slidable means and said tray, and spring means betweensaid tray and said slidable means biased norm-ally to tilt said tray upwardly when in unloaded condition, each tray comprising rearward and forward members having a longitudinally slidable telescopic connection therebetween, said rearward member comprising a plurality of laterally spaced merchandise supporting parallel bars extending forwardly and rearwardly and a cross bar at one side of the forward ends of said parallel bars, said forward member comprising a plurality of laterally spaced merchandise supporting parallel bars and a cross bar at rearward ends thereof on the side opposite said first identified cross bar, one of said cross bars being bent over parallel bars of the other of said members in sliding relationship, adjacent parallel bars of one of said members being spaced to form slideways and bars of the other of said members comprising runners slidable in said slideways, whereby said forward member slides relative to said rearward member.

5. A retractable merchandise display rack according to claim 1 wherein said rearward member comprises a mesh of laterally spaced longitudinally extending bars of diameter substantially smaller than the space between adjacent bars and a plurality of transverse stiffening bars on one vertical face of said rearward member fastening said longitudinally extending bars in spaced relationship, and said forward member comprises a mesh of laterally spaced longitudinally extending bars of diameter substantially smaller than the space between respective adjacent bars and a plurality of transverse stiffening bars on an opposite vertical face of said forward member fastening said longitudinally extending bars in spaced relationship, said longitudinally extending bars of said rearward and forward members being in mutual guiding relationship.

6. A retractable merchandise display rack accordin to claim 5 wherein outermost longitudinally extending bars of the respective rearward and forward members are free of all but respective outermost and innermost transverse stilfening bars, opposite ends of the innermost stiffening bar of the forward member being bent into slidable retaining engagement of outermost longitudinally extending bars of the rearward member and opposite ends of the outermost transverse stiffening bar of the rearward member being bent into slidable retaining engagement of the outermost longitudinally extending bars of the forward member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,120,158 6/ 1938 Starrick 10865 X 2,509,546 5/1950 Welk 108--134 X 2,716,495 8/1955 Prevette 211148 3,080,832 3/1963 Schroemges 108-134 X 3,151,576 10/1964 Patterson 108-2 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner. 

